Summary and Conclusion
Previous reports suggested that between of 5 to 10% of low back pain patients will developed CLBP. CLBP is highly disabling and responsible for high health expenditure ($6000 per person) and low quality of life. There is a growing body of evidence, which demonstrated a significant increase in the risk of depression among CLBP patients. In the present prospective study, we aimed to assess the risk of depression in patients with CLPB, using a psychiatric diagnostic interview; and compared 80 CLBP patients with 80 age and sex-matched healthy controls. A comparative prospective study was conducted Neuropsychiatry outpatient clinic at Benha University Hospital in Egypt. A written informed consent was taken from each patient. Data collection was started at the beginning of December 2016 and until the end of September 2017. The mean BDI was significantly higher in CLBP patients compared to control group (p =0.001). Moreover, the proportion of patients with moderate depression was significantly higher in CLBP group compared to control group (45% vs. 10%, respectively; p =0.01); while, the proportion of patients with normal psychological status was higher among healthy volunteers (72.2% vs. 35%, respectively; p